MAP OF THE DAY: Wal-Mart's Invasion Of Mexico

As you can see from the maps below, published in a recent NBER paper, Wal-Mart's brands absolutely saturated Mexico over two decades.

Of course Wal-Mart's success isn't based solely on bribery. The paper points to NAFTA and other legislation on both sides of the border that supported the expansion. The paper also argued that Wal-Mart was a net-positive for Mexican industry, helping to spur innovation and effeciency.